WIN BIG FRAUD WATCH

Unfortunately internet fraud is growing because of its anonymity, ease of promotion, and lack of borders. Some scams are designed to take advantage of the way the internet works so the victim doesn't even notice that they have been scammed until it is too late.

At Win Big, we promote and list hundreds of competitions and millions of dollars worth of prize draws each week from our network of trusted partner websites. When you enter a competition, complete a survey or sign up for a free trial on Win Big, you know that you are in with a real chance of winning.

Win Big Fraud Watch was set up to help you protect yourself, your computer and your personal information. By taking a proactive approach to how you access the internet you can minimise the risks and enjoy what the internet has to offer.

Top Tier Scams

Nigerian / 4-1-9 / Off-Shore Scams
Possibly the most popular scam on the internet the Nigerian / 4-1-9 scam usually arrives via email and promises you substantial rewards if you help someone transfer money out of their country. You will then be asked to provide your bank details and/or pay fees & taxes that will allow access to the funds and facilitate the transfer. Once you send the money, the scammers usually then create new excuses and ask you to send more money to help with the transfer until ultimately you stop paying or the scammers are cut off from communication.

Spam and Junk Mail
Spam is unsolicited email, also known as junk mail. It usually offers free goods, cheap products, get rich quick schemes and work from home opportunities. In some instances you might be required to pay an establishment fee or a joining fee. You may find that some Spam emails download malicious software such as virus's or worms onto your computer without your knowledge in an attempt to steal your credit card, banking or personal details. It pays to be suspicious about unsolicited emails and if you do not know the sender of an email you should delete it immediately and never open attachments.

Free Offers
Some 'free' offers that are advertised on the internet often turn out to be scams. Popular free offers include free site member access, a free download or a free trial for products ranging from holidays to music and mobile phone content. If the free offer requires you to provide credit card details or to pay an upfront fee to claim your 'free' prize or product, chances are the free offer is a scam.

Malware
Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. Malware software is designed to steal your online banking passwords or credit card information and can include 'spyware' that spies on what you do on your computer, 'key-logs' that record what keys you press on your keyboard and virus's such as 'worms' and 'Trojans' that are designed to spread the Malware further by spamming your email contacts.

Phishing Scams
Phishing emails are sent out in an attempt to mislead you into giving out your personal or banking information. Phishing emails look like they come from legitimate business such as banks, with requests for you to confirm your bank account details. Phishing emails can look very convincing as the scammer usually copies images and content from banking websites to make their email more convincing. If you receive an email from your bank or your financial institution asking you to click on a link or confirm your bank account or credit card details, you should delete this email immediately.

Online Shopping Scams
Some scams involve selling a product, often very cheaply in an attempt to steal your credit card details. Alternatively scammers will take your money and not send through the product or send through a different product or even a faulty product. Should you purchase an item online and it doesn't arrive then you should talk to your bank about their 'chargeback' policy.

Second Tier Scams

Domain Name Renewal
This is a popular scam that usually targets businesses. A business with a registered domain i.e. www.xyz.com receives a fake renewal notice for their business domain name. Alternatively the invoice is for a domain name that is similar to their business domain name such as the www.xyz.net or www.xyz.org.

Money Transfer / Work from Home
The user acts as a 'middle man' and agrees to transfer money from one account to another account in exchange for a fee. This effectively launders the money of the scammer and can have big implications for the user and their money.

Mobile Content Scams
Often free offers for mobile ring-tones and mobile content includes a subscription to a premium rate service that bills the user on a weekly basis. In most cases the user does not realise they have subscribed to a mobile premium service until their bill arrives. Before you subscribe to any free mobile content, check to make sure that you're not subscribing to a service. If you find that you're subscribed to such a service simply reply "STOP" to the service number to cancel the subscription.

Pharmacies & Weight loss Scams
Online pharmacies mislead users in buying miracle cures, creams and medicines at cheap prices and without a prescription. These treatments often do not work and can be very dangerous. In some instances you could be putting your health at risk.

How to protect yourself online

Know who you're dealing with
If you do not recognise the business making the offer you can confirm the business name with your local or federal government office. Try to get the physical address, a phone number and a contact name in case there is a problem later.

Don't believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it could be a scam.

Understand the offer
A legitimate business will give you all the details about the product or service including the total price, the delivery time, the refund and cancellation policies, also ask for the terms of the warranty.

Be cautious about unsolicited emails
Unsolicited emails are often fraudulent and attempt to either install Malware on your computer or trick you into handing over your personal or banking details. The best way to deal with unsolicited emails is to simply delete it, if you respond to unknown senders you are simply verifying that yours is a working email address and it could result in you receiving even more unwanted messages from strangers.

Beware of emails from Banks and Financial Institutions
It is best practice to never click on links in emails from banks or financial institutions, be suspicious if your bank or financial institution emails you asking for information that the business already has.

Beware of "dangerous downloads"
If you download 'free' programs to see pictures, hear music or play games you could download Malware that infects your computer files or monitors your online activity in an attempt to steal your personal information. Only download programs from web sites you know and trust and read all user agreements carefully.

Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges with your bank if you do not receive the goods or services or the offer was misrepresented. Alternative payments include Pay Pal, Debit Cards and Direct Debits.

Get a good Antivirus & Anti-spyware program
There are a number of excellent Anitvirus and Anti-spyware programs available today ranging from free to full service.

Contact Win Big
If you are unsure about an offer, competition or email, contact mike.bullen@winbig.co.uk and we can investigate the proposition and notify you of the risks. Alternatively, if you believe that you have found a scam or an illegitimate offer please send them through to mike.bullen@winbig.co.uk so we can notify other Win Big Competition Club members.

Win Big Competition Club Fraud Watch
Here are a list of Internet Scams that have been sent in by Win Big Competition Club Members and verified by the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection in Western Australia.

Email Scams:
BigPond Phishing Scam: An email asks for your name, address, telephone number, fax, location where you access your email, email address and password.
PayPal security email: This is a typical phishing email sent by fraudsters in an attempt to collect sensitive personal or financial information from you.

Prizes and Lotteries Scams:
Promo Direct Ltd: Email claims you are the winner of a special prize but the email is in fact an advert promoting the sale of a particular product.
Winners Circle: Email claims you are the winner of a special prize but the email is in fact an advert promoting the sale of a particular product.

Advance Fee Frauds (Nigerian):
Euromillions Lottery Scam: Claims that you are the winner of a European Lottery based in Spain but then asks you to transfer money to facilitate the payment of the cash prize. This has also appeared as the El Mundo Sweepstake and multiple Nigerian scams.

Pyramid Schemes:
PayPal: You send $5 to the first name on a list of 20 names then add your name to the bottom of the email and then forward it to 20 friends who are then asked to do the same.

Employment Schemes:
Dick Smith Employment: Claims to be from the desk of entrepreneur Dick Smith who is seeking payment agents to assist his company in dodging Australian tax laws.
SEEK Job Resume: An email claiming to have found your details on Seek offers you "A position processing payments". You don't need computer knowledge and your minimal income is $4000 on average a month.

Psychic Scams:
Sara Freder: Sara Freder uses the hook of a free horoscope email to get you in, then harasses you for her paid services in some instances unauthorised withdrawals can occur from your accounts and you can be subjected to increased spam.

Directory Listings and Domain Name Schemes:
Domain Names Australia: Scams pitched at businesses and community groups included invoices for advertising that had not been ordered.